NEWS BYTES The INS has extended the time during which the old version of Form I-485 may be used. This is because the new version was only recently printed, and has just now been delivered to INS offices. Instead of requiring only the new form after September 30, 2000, the old version will continue to be accepted until December 1, 2000.
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The Miami relatives of Elian Gonzalez are suing Attorney General Janet Reno, INS Commissioner Doris Meissner and Miami police officials over the raid on their house in which federal agents seized Elian. The suit claims that the raid violated the family’s rights.
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The INS is being sued for deporting a man despite the presence of a court order forbidding deportation. Mario Rodriguez-Franco has filed suit against several INS employees seeking $1.5 million in compensation for the three days he spent in Tijuana before the INS admitted its mistake and brought him back to the US. Advocates worry that this sort of INS action is becoming too common, and reflects either a lack of training or sheer recklessness.
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Responding to overwhelming negative publicity, INS officials are expediting the application of Claudia Young to return to the US. We covered the story of her shocking treatment last week at http://www.visalaw.com/00sep5/14sep500.html. Under a new policy in which all possible avenues to avoid deportation of spouses of US citizens are to be examined, Young’s case is being reopened.
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California Governor Gray Davis this week signed into law a bill that makes immigrant children eligible for public health care, but other bills immigrant advocacy groups supported were vetoed by the governor. Among these were a bill that would have allowed people in the process of legalizing their status in the US to obtain a driver’s license, and a bill that would have made undocumented immigrants eligible for in-state tuition at state universities.
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A teenage girl from Cameroon who was enslaved by a Michigan couple will be able to stay in the US. This week a judge terminated the rights of her parents, who are in Africa. She is now a ward of the court and will be able to seek permanent residence as a special juvenile immigrant. The girl was smuggled into the US by the couple, who authorities say beat, raped and neglected her. The judge terminated parental rights because her parents had not been in touch with her while she was in the US, and did not contest the effort to have their rights terminated.
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Temporary Protected Status has been extended for nationals of the tiny island country of Montserrat. TPS was initially granted in 1997 when a volcano began erupting on the island, forcing much of its population to flee. TPS was extended because conditions on the island have not improved – earlier this year the volcano again erupted, and geological evidence shows such an eruption could occur again at any time. The re-registration period is from October 2 through November 1.
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The Board of Supervisors of Marshall County, Iowa has passed a resolution making English the county’s official language. Opponents of the measure say that it is racist and discriminatory. Supporters say that it will not make any significant changes, and that it will not require the county to eliminate bilingual signs and publications. Marshall is the 12th county in Iowa to adopt such a law, and is the most diverse county with such a law. Twenty-five states have passed similar laws.
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Following a shocking report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the squalid conditions in which more than 50 refugees in the area were housed, the director of migration and refugee services with the local Catholic Social Services has resigned, and the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta has moved the refuges to a hotel until better housing is found. Despite the close relationship between the archdiocese and Catholic Social Services, church officials say they only now became aware of the conditions.
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Jesus Chavez, the number one contender for the World Boxing Council’s super-featherweight division, has requested a pardon from the Governor of Illinois for an armed robbery conviction. A citizen of Mexico, Chavez grew up in Chicago, and was deported in 1997 for a 1990 crime. The criminal conviction makes it almost impossible for Chavez to enter the US, and he hopes that with a pardon the INS will allow him to enter the US.
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The Cambridge, Massachusetts, city government is debating whether to allow noncitizens to vote in elections for the local school board. Many immigrants have children in the local school, and advocates want them to have input into the way the schools are run. While noncitizens are not allowed to vote in most elections, they are able to vote in school board elections in many cities, including Chicago and New York.
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An internal review of the strip-search of a Chinese businesswoman by INS officers at the Portland International Airport has concluded that the search was justified. According to the review, the only errors the INS made were failing to fill out all the necessary paperwork and failure to notify the Chinese consulate that the woman was being detained. The report is not being made public; instead, the INS released a summary to the Portland Oregonian. The INS does say that a more comprehensive review of operations in Portland under recently departed District Director David Beebe will be released to the public shortly.
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Stearns County, Minnesota is trying to find ways to trim the costs of running its courts because of the growing costs of providing translators. Five years ago the county spent almost $23,000 on interpreters – this year the cost was over $50,000. Most of the translators come from a local service, which says that it will try to work with the country to lower their rates. < Back | Next > Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk. | 
